James Surls's work can be seen throughout Texas and is part of the permanent
collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, DC),
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY), Whitney Museum of American
Art (New York, NY) among many others.

Surls' has strong Texas roots--himself an East Texas nativewho
graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1966 and then
becoming a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas
('69-76). Surls is very fond of Rockport--having made many trips in the
past, to fish, and to visit his good friend and colleague Jesús Moroles.
Surls now lives and works in Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado.

After
months of preparation and planning, the powdered coated steel piece
finally made its way to Rockport. While the piece,
called Walking White Flower, bears a striking resemblance to his other molecular-related work seen at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Walking White Flower is currently the only white piece Surls has made. Its chosen
placement--on the lawn of the Rockport Center of the Arts--allows the
unique, abstract qualities of the piece to be truly appreciated by
visitors to the Art Center.

In November, Surls visited the Art Center to usher in
the project. Click below to watch a short video made during the artist's
visit.

The project was made possible by The Brown Foundation,
Inc. of Houston, The Madison Charitable Foundation, and the studio of
Jesús Moroles.